Susquehanna River Fish

Fishing for Smallmouth Bass, Musky, and Catfish

An Overview of Susquehanna River Fish

The Susquehanna River is an ideal river for boating, fishing, camping and wildlife watching. The Susquehanna is well-known for its large mass of smallmouth bass. The Susquehanna is also filled with a great deal of walleye, catfish, and smaller panfish. Other fish consisting of musky, northern pike, pickerel, American shad, and much more are found within the bases of the river. Due to the smooth flowing water of the Susquehanna and its large population of fish, the Susquehanna ranks among the top of rivers in PA.

Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River

Susquehanna River fishing is often best around sunrise and sunset, however, smallmouth bass can often be enticed to bite all day. Good live baits include minnows, or hellgrammites. Artificial baits like rubber worms or plastic crayfish imitations also work well on smallmouth bass. Fly rods and poppers are very popular with some anglers targeting smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River.

Courtesy of the Susquehanna River Trail website

Susquehanna River Musky Fishing

Among the many fishing opportunities on the Susquehanna River, musky fishing ranks near the top with smallmouth bass.  Muskies caught on the river have often been reported over 40 inches and some near the 50-inch mark. Many Susquehanna River musky fishing stories and tips can be found online. Here are a couple worth reading:

• Float-Fishing for River Muskies

• Seeking Pennsylvania's Biggest Muskies

For more info, check out the Susquehanna River Trail Association's website.

For additional information, please visit the PA Fish and Boat Commission website.

HuntFishPA: New Mobile-Friendly, Outdoor Recreational Licensing Platform 

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) have announced the launch of HuntFishPA, the new user-friendly licensing platform for hunters, anglers, and boaters.  Visitors to www.HuntFish.pa.gov will discover convenient features like personalized dashboards, autorenewal for fishing licenses, and the ability to report game and furbearer harvests as required. Users who visit the agencies’ websites – www.pgc.pa.gov and www.fishandboat.com – for their licensing and other needs will be seamlessly directed to the new system. HuntFishPA replaces the previous Pennsylvania Automatic Licensing System (PALS) platform known as The Outdoor Shop
 

Susquehanna River Valley Fishing Guide

Regardless of the season, the natural beauty of the Susquehanna River Valley’s streams, creeks, lakes, and its namesake, the Susquehanna River, invites all to explore the great outdoors.
Along with many pristine fishing areas, which this Guide will outline, the region is also home to three state parks: Shikellamy State Park and Marina, Milton State Park, and R.B. Winter State Park.